Recruitment Models & Search Types Glossary
Recruitment models and search types are the different ways companies engage help to hire — from retained executive search to contingency recruitment, RPO, and Hire-Train-Deploy. This topic defines and distinguishes those models, each on its own page.
The distinctions are practical and commercial. Retained and contingency search differ in how and when a firm is paid, and in the seniority they suit; executive search and headhunting focus on senior, passive talent; RPO embeds recruiting capacity into a business, while Hire-Train-Deploy manufactures supply for hard-to-source skills. Choosing the right model for a given mandate is a decision in its own right, and knowing the vocabulary is the first step.
These definitions are neutral explanations of the models, not a pitch for any one of them. The terms below give buyers and candidates a shared, precise vocabulary for how hiring gets done.
11 terms in this topic · see all 277 in the A–Z glossary →
Terms 11
Contingency Search Contingency search is a recruiting model in which the firm is paid only on a successful placement, common for non-exclusive or mid-level roles. It trades the exclusivity and depth of retained search for speed and shared risk. Read Executive Search Executive Search is the specialist discipline of recruiting senior leaders — CXOs, VPs, and functional heads — through proactive, confidential, research-led headhunting rather than advertising a role and waiting for applicants. It is used for positions where the pool is small, the stakes are high, and the best candidates are rarely looking. Read Full-Cycle Recruiting Full-cycle recruiting is a model in which one recruiter owns every stage of hiring for a role, from defining the requirement and sourcing candidates through screening, interviewing, offer, and onboarding. It contrasts with models where different specialists handle separate stages. Read Headhunting Headhunting is the practice of directly and discreetly approaching specific, often passive, professionals to fill a role rather than waiting for applicants. It is the core method of executive and specialist search. Read Hire-Train-Deploy HTD Hire-Train-Deploy (HTD) is a model where candidates are recruited, trained to a specific skill or client need, then deployed job-ready onto a team or project. It solves scale hiring for skills that are scarce, fast-evolving, or in shorter supply than demand. Read Recruitment Process Outsourcing RPO Recruitment Process Outsourcing (RPO) is when an employer transfers all or part of its hiring to an external provider that operates as an embedded extension of the in-house talent team, owning the process and the outcomes. It differs from agency recruiting in that the provider runs the function, not just fills individual roles. Read Retained Search Retained search is an executive-search engagement in which the client pays in staged instalments for an exclusive, committed search, typically for senior or hard-to-fill roles. The firm is retained regardless of outcome, which aligns it to depth and diligence over speed. Read Scale-Up Hiring Scale-up hiring is the rapid, high-volume recruitment of many people — often across multiple roles and locations at once — to staff a fast-growing team, product line, or new site within a compressed timeframe, without dropping the quality bar. It differs from steady-state hiring in its pace, its parallelism, and the operational machinery needed to sustain it. Read Specialist & Niche Talent Specialist or niche talent are professionals with scarce, deep, hard-to-substitute skills — the roles with the smallest qualified pool and the longest time-to-fill. Because the market for them is thin, they are usually found through targeted search rather than advertising. Read Staff Augmentation Staff augmentation adds external professionals to an in-house team on a flexible, often contract, basis to meet capacity or skill gaps without adding permanent headcount. The augmented staff work under the client’s direction, integrated into existing teams rather than delivering a separate outsourced scope. Read Strategic Workforce Planning SWP Strategic Workforce Planning (SWP) is the discipline of aligning an organisation’s future talent supply with its business strategy — forecasting the roles, skills, and numbers it will need, then closing the gap ahead of demand rather than reacting to it. It turns hiring from a reactive scramble into a planned capability. ReadFrequently asked questions
What is the difference between retained and contingency search?
In retained search, a firm is engaged exclusively and paid in stages regardless of outcome, suited to senior or critical roles. In contingency search, a firm is paid only if its candidate is hired, and roles are often worked by several firms at once. One is a committed partnership; the other is success-only.
What is executive search?
Executive search is the specialised recruitment of senior leaders — C-suite, VP, and director roles — usually on a retained basis. It relies on discreetly approaching passive, high-calibre candidates rather than advertising a vacancy.
What is RPO (Recruitment Process Outsourcing)?
RPO is a model in which a provider takes over all or part of a company’s recruiting, embedding recruiters and processes into the business. It adds hiring capacity and expertise that flexes with demand.
What is Hire-Train-Deploy?
Hire-Train-Deploy is a model that recruits candidates, trains them in specific skills, and then deploys them into roles — manufacturing talent supply for skills that are scarce in the open market.